12 new projects launched under TRACE

12 new projects have been launched under the TRACE partnership and organized across three Work Stream Focus Areas: Plastics, Textiles, and Common. Funded through TRACE's five coordinated funding calls, the projects will help accelerate Denmark's transition to a circular and resilient economy by developing scalable Proof-of-Concept circular economy systems and advancing methods for measuring systemic impact.

The five coordinated funding calls, designed to accelerate Denmark’s transition to a circular and resilient economy, are:

Call 1) Circular Solutions in the Food Industry

This call supports the development of a Proof-of-Concept Circular Economy System (PoC CE System) for plastics in the food industry.

Call 2) Circular Solutions to Single-Use Plastics and Textiles in the Healthcare Sector

This call supports the development of a Proof-of-Concept Circular Economy System (PoC CE System) for single-use plastics and textiles in the healthcare sector.

The new projects are as follows:

HealthW2R: This project develops and demonstrates a scalable circular system for single-use plastic consumables in healthcare laboratories. Through innovative decontamination technologies, traceable material recovery, and circular procurement approaches, the project aims to transform hazardous plastic waste into valuable resources and support more circular healthcare systems.

Go to the project: HealthW2R

[RE]PAIR: This project develops and scales Repair Business Models (RBMs) to extend the lifetime of textiles across public and private sectors. The project combines data, training, and stakeholder collaboration to support circular textile solutions and reduce textile waste.

Go to the project: [RE]PAIR

PROLONGing: This project builds on the TRACE project PROLONG by scaling innovative methods for gathering data on garment use and lifetime. The project supports Design for Longevity (DfL) and helps reduce overproduction and CO₂ emissions in the fashion industry.

Go to the project: PROLONGing

SWARM2SCALE: This project develops and scales circular plastics systems through higher education institution-led hubs in Greece, South Africa, and Nigeria. The project combines innovative recycling pathways, data generation, and professional training to create replicable Proof-of-Concept Circular Economy Systems for plastics.

Go to the project: SWARM2SCALE

LoopME: This project develops and tests a new Deposit & Return System (DRS) for reusable take-away packaging with the aim of reducing single-use packaging waste and supporting large-scale adoption of reuse systems.

Go to the project: LoopME

SCOPE: This project develops and validates a systemic circular solution for food-contact plastics at events and in canteens. By combining reuse systems and food-grade closed-loop recycling, the project aims to reduce single-use plastics and support the transition to a more circular food-service sector.

Go to the project: SCOPE

RE-SAFE: This project investigates the chemical safety of reusable lunch containers in Copenhagen school canteens. Through new testing methods and safety tools, it aims to support safe, sustainable, and scalable reuse systems for food packaging.

Go to the project: RE-SAFE

RE:Circulate: This project develops the infrastructure needed to scale the reuse of furniture and workwear textiles across Denmark’s four largest municipalities. Through AI-supported data collection, shared standards, and new reuse business models, the project aims to make reuse more accessible, scalable, and economically viable in the public sector.

Go to the project: RE:Circulate

PaX: This project develops a circular system for patientwear in Danish hospitals. Through circular design, improved data, and new repair, reuse, and traceability solutions, the project aims to extend garment lifetimes and reduce textile waste and CO₂ emissions.

Go to the project: PaX

UNBRAND: This project tackles a central barrier in textile circularity, namely that branded workwear is discarded by the thousands long before its useful lifetime is over, simply because logos and graphics cannot be removed efficiently, creating unnecessary waste and preventing large-scale textile reuse.

Go to the project: UNBRAND

RE-CARE: This project accelerates the circular transition in municipal healthcare by developing and validating circular product and workflow systems. Through new procurement models, governance approaches, and cross-sector collaboration, the project aims to reduce material consumption, plastic waste, and CO₂ emissions while supporting more circular healthcare services.

Go to the project: RE-CARE

ROUNDS: This project develops knowledge and decision-support tools to support the transition from PFAS-containing single-use surgical gowns to PFAS-free reusable gowns, and the reduction and substitution of PVC single-use infusion sets in healthcare.

Go to the project: ROUNDS